Grace Chang and Dinah Shore (October, 1959)
During the late 50s, Hollywood and the American public seem to have engaged in a kind of summer romance with Asia (that is, at least with "freedom-loving" Asia). I suppose it started in 1955 with a trio of postcard films that showcased in glorious color the exotic sights of Hong Kong and Tokyo: Soldier of Fortune (featuring a young Grace Chang in a walk-on role), House of Bamboo (starring Shirley Yamaguchi, aka Li Xianglan), and Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing. And since nothing complements an exotic postcard view better than a genuine exotic beauty, Hollywood was on the prowl for Asian actresses.
Then, as now, there were quite a few Hong Kong stars who were tempted by the promises of Hollywood. In 1956, Li Lihua was courted by Cecil B. De Mille and signed a contract to star in one of his films but ended up instead in Frank Borzage's China Doll. Pearl Au Kar-wai was brought to New York by Otto Preminger in 1958 to prepare for her role in his never started film, The Other Side of the Coin. Around the same time, Helen Li Mei was invited by Jantzen to represent the Far East in a swimwear fashion show. She made the papers in an unexpected way when she refused to pose in the "immodest" swimsuit that was waiting for her. Lin Dai also traveled to the States in 1958, to visit Hollywood studios and audit drama classes at Columbia University. But by 1960, the summer romance was coming to and end: The World of Suzie Wong was its last kiss.
It was against this backdrop of intercultural courtship that Grace Chang made her American television debut on The Dinah Shore Show (October 25, 1959), along with a host of "favorite entertainers of the Orient". (BTW, the show was originally telecast in color, but I've only ever seen black-and-white recordings of it.) According to an article from the November 1959 issue of International Screen, Grace "scored a sweeping victory" with her appearance on the show, which was estimated to have been seen by 60 million Americans. I'm sure she made just as great an impression then as she has today with those who have seen her films on DVD. And evidently, she was popular enough for Capitol Records to release an album of her Chinese songs in 1961.
Anyway, enough of my blabbing! Without further ado, here is the lovely Miss Grace Chang singing "The Autumn Song" on The Dinah Shore Show.
And to end the show, here is Grace Chang, Yukiji Asaoka, and Dinah Shore singing, appropriately enough, "Getting to Know You" from The King and I.
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